


Even Loki Can Be Batman If You Travel Enough Universes

by yasminakohl



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M, No clue where this is going, universe hopping
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-24
Updated: 2017-07-23
Packaged: 2018-12-06 04:58:51
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,677
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11593425
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yasminakohl/pseuds/yasminakohl
Summary: Loki's learned how to universe hop just after the Battle of New York and learns a few universal truths.No god damned clue what this is going to be and where the hell its going to go.





	Even Loki Can Be Batman If You Travel Enough Universes

Loki stands in the shadows, watching the pair before him. He had learned long ago how to blend into the background, to become the shadows he hid in. 

Another thing he had learned long ago, is there is more than one universe. In some of the universes, where the concept has made it through the quagmire of religious fervor it is called the multi-universe theory. It had been only a year or so ago, he learned how to travel between them. In that time, he has traveled and marveled at most of the universes. He has also learned how to map them. 

In the universe to the left (so to speak), the Avengers have broken apart. Banner and the Hulk were missing, the rest of the Avengers split up by the actions of Ultron. Then the fighting between them becomes their Civil War, a civil war that in that universe costs both Stark and Rogers their best friends; Rhodes loses his legs, Barnes returning to cryo-sleep. 

Loki also had seen through the shadows in that universe, that he'd taken Odin’s place as his father had fallen, once again, into the Odin's sleep. Even now, no one knew Loki sat on the thrown there. He had been reticent to look into the others mind to see how twisted it had been from his time with Thanos. He knew his own mind was a bit unhinged and there his mother, the Allmother was dead, and he was certain that would strip even more of his sanity away.

The universe to “the right” was vastly different. In that universe, he also sat on the thrown. But in that one, he had made peace with his father. Odin had seen through the ruse. Had seen the loathing in the eyes of a guard he knew to be loyal. He'd seen and understood fully what the half truths and secrets had done to his youngest son. He'd pled not for forgiveness, but for an understanding. He asked for the understanding of the hopes of a happy family, of laughter and children racing through halls. Loki, that Loki had listened, letting the glamor fall away, he let the man who had raised him show Loki the future Odin had hoped for. That Loki had let even the glamor of Aesir fall away, standing before the Allfather in his Jötunn form, his small blue Jötunn form. That Odin had pulled the blue Loki into his arms, despite his armor freezing, Loki collapsed into his father’s arm, returning to the paleness of his Aesir form.

Odin had known the sleep was coming. The Loki of this universe had left them setting plans into motion to allow Odin the time to fully sleep and for Loki to prove his worth in Odin’s place. 

But here in this universe, his home universe, neither of those things had happened. Here the Avengers held together, in this universe Thanos was still a long time coming. In this universe Loki had faked his death on Svartalfheim, but had not returned to the palace. In this universe, the Allmother still lived and he knew she would see through any glamor faster than the Odin in the universe to the right.

He had hopped through dozens of universes and a constant he had found was that if Steven Rogers (in whatever form he was represented in that universe) was able to forge a relationship with Anthony Stark (in whatever form he was represented in that universe), their Civil War never happens. 

It happens in this universe, he stands, watching said men cuddle on a couch watching some inane comedy that had Tony laughing and Steve shaking his head. Loki figured it had to do with the fact that Steve only understood a third of what was said, while Tony understood everything. Something called Big Bang Theory. Loki felt for Steve, he only understood half the show himself. But then he was also lacking in understanding this Earth’s pop culture. 

He had heard various colloquialisms about home: home is where your hat is, home is where your heart is, family makes a home, there’s no place like home… the list went on. 

The Loki of this universe didn't have a home, but he felt drawn to this corner, to this shadowed slice of these two men’s lives. When the pair wasn't there, he left and wondered this Earth, he wondered the roots of Yggdrasil, he wondered and learned each new universe. 

There was another colloquialism that was prevalent in several universes, given enough multi-universe, somewhere in one of them everyone was Batman. And Loki had actually proven that one. He had found universes where not only was he himself Batman, but he’d found a Stark Batman, even a long since passed Rogers Batman, as well as a Banner Batman. 

He could nearly taste the longing to be able to tell someone that it was true. That in a universe seventeen to the left, he was a hero, well hero adjacent. Batman wasn't actually a very good hero, he tended to hurt first, ask questions later. 

He had also found several universes where superheroes didn't exist, except in forms of entertainment called comic books. He found those universes to be extremely depressing, not due to the lack of a good fight, but for the lack of a rallying cry to stir the masses to do what needed to be done. 

There was even one universe he’d visited, where some horrid business man had made a mockery of the American government, they could have most definitely used a Steve Rogers. A Tony Stark would have shaken the world up enough to toss out that one. Even as a “supervillian” Loki knew that guy was a bag full of cats, as Banner had once termed him.

But in this universe, he had no one to tell his stories to, no one to share his quandaries and exploits with. In this universe it was only him, in the shadows, watching Steve watching Tony watching a TV show.

Tony whispered something to Steve and Loki saw him smile and kiss the top of his head before leaning down and whispering in return. Loki never bothered to try to hear what was said when they did this. He didn't need to know what words passed between the lovers. He positively didn't need any additional secrets he couldn't share. Tony stood, turned and pulled Steve up with him. Loki pulled his magic about him, readying to slip in to Yggdrasil when Tony turned right towards him. Loki shifted back further into the shadow, he knew he couldn't be seen, not even by Stark’s AI, but watching Stark walk directly towards him was becoming a bit unnerving. Stark stopped four inches from him. Loki’s heart had stopped two feet before that.

“Loki, stop stalking us. We know you've been there for months. And it’s way creepy. You're honestly worse than Coulson, who is alive by the way, in case you wanted to know.”

Loki didn't dare breathe, didn't dare shift his magic, he daren't do a thing. Stark would feel it if he tried. 

Rogers moved to stand beside Stark. “Loki, it’s okay. We know you didn't die on Svartalfheim. Thor went back to find your body and it was gone. Please just show yourself. We won’t say anything or do anything. We just want to know why you only come here to this corner.”

Loki took a quick breath, “The shadows seemed the darkest here.”

Stark smiled, “I guessed that, I’ve been adding none-reflective paint to those walls for weeks, so it would create darker shadows.”

Loki hadn't noticed, he had only noticed that he felt safer here than anywhere in any known universe so far.

“Please let us see you,” Rogers tried again, he gently reached out to where he felt Loki was standing, a hand brushing Loki’s forearm.

Loki let the invisibility slip away much like the other Loki had let his Asier form slip away to show the Jötunn beneath.

Rogers wrapped his fingers gently around Loki’s vembrace and smiled. It was a sad little thing, not the one he’d seen fill this Roger’s face with light and love. He’d seen it on the “left” Roger’s face when his Barnes had told him why he needed to go back into the ice. 

“Why?”

Loki had no answer for the question. He did not know. The Liesmith, ol’ Silvertongue himself, had no words. He refused to do something as infantile and shrug his shoulders, but he had nothing else, so the shoulders rose and fell. 

The hand was still on his armor and the warmth was seeping through the reinforced leather, spreading up his arm. Starks hand was added and Loki bit the inside of his cheek to keep from reacting. 

“You look like warmed over dead dog shit, Prancer. When was the last time you slept?”

“Sleep is for the dead,” Loki answered before he could think better of it.

“No its what keeps you from joining the dead. I know your daughter’s supposed to be the Queen and all, but I’m betting you don't need to be dead to visit her.” 

Loki blinked at that thought. “I have no children in this realm Stark.”

“No, she's on whatsit-heim, Helheim. She’s the Queen of Hel, one L.”

“Not in this universe, I have never had any children here. I have never been married. I know the stories of which you speak and they did not happen to me.”

Stark and Rogers turn to look at each other before each one nods their head to the side, and then down once, a secret language only the lovers shared. When they finished their little head ballet, they both pulled on his arm so that he stumbled out into the light of the room. When they stopped him he saw his reflection in a darkened window. He did in fact look like warmed over dead dog shit. Thought how did one know what warmed over dead dog shit looked like?


End file.
